![Cleft Awareness Month 2021 #cleftproud](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-07/cleft-awareness-month-cleft-proud-2021.jpg?itok=buw1bbZh)
What My Cleft Taught Me
In honor of Cleft Awareness Month 2021, Smile Train's Cleft Community Advisory Council presents real-life stories of growing up with a cleft or being the mom to a child with a cleft from people who have been there.
![Nijha Diggs wearing scrubs and holding a Smile Train sign before observing a free cleft surgery.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-07/nijha-celebrates-in-smile-train-surgery-scrubs-in-kenya.jpg?itok=z8-u84V8)
How Nijha Makes the Stars Smile
Talking celebrities and staying grounded with Smile Train’s Senior Director of PR.
![St. Joseph College students](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-06/st-joe-smile-impact-society-on-stoop.jpg?itok=SQ1LGFNK)
St. Joseph’s College Students Go the Extra Mile for Smiles
One more way Smile Impact Society students turn their passions into smiles.
![Pam with Susie and a patient](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/pam-s-with-child-and-susie.jpg?itok=n3ThW6VW)
Pamela Sheeran on Smile Train’s Investment in Expanding Non-Surgical Cleft Care
![Students for Smiles logo](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/cla-state-fullerton-students-for-smiles-logo.jpg?itok=YQZTZDYl)
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) Students Turn Crisis into Smiles
How one chapter of Smile Train’s Smile Impact Society made 2020 its most lucrative year yet.
![Iva as a girl before cleft surgery and now.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/iva-ballou-og.jpg?itok=Qc0JOgaA)
How Iva Found Joy in Her Cleft
![Mathias Kiwanuka visits a child in Uganda wearing a New York Giants hat.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-04/mathias-kiwanuka-in-uganda-with-child-in-bed-ny-giants-hat-cleft-surgery.jpg?itok=Dxia187H)
Super Bowl Champion, Activist, Smile Maker: An Interview with our Newest Board Member
Mathias Kiwanuka knows the true meaning of greatness.
![Smile Train patient Gianna after cleft lip and palate surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-03/covid-gianna-after-cleft-lip-palate-surgery.jpg?itok=UTeAm63j)
How Smile Train Kept Making Smiles Through COVID-19
While other cleft organizations’ operations were indefinitely suspended or severely cut back, Smile Train was able to keep moving.
![Large group pose with Smile Train donation check with school mascot](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/ginger-greek-check.jpg?itok=PGg1PmV_)
Fraternity Brothers Spread Smiles Through the Pandemic
These dedicated Smile Train supporters didn't let COVID-19 stop their annual fundraising event.
![Hema on red carpet with Smile Train YLC backdrop](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/hema-with-ylc-red-carpet.jpg?itok=Bw7jYDrP)
Why Hema Smiles No Matter What
When Hema was 12 years old, she learned that not everyone born with a cleft received the care she did. She decided right then to change that.
![Ride for Smile Train logo](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-03/ride-for-smile-train-home-edition.jpg?itok=T2MvUtlc)
Ride for Smile Train: Home Edition Passes Every Marker for Success
410 riders in 19 countries raise $66,000+ for life-changing cleft treatment.